Larimer voter turnout 'on fire'

Clerk says its a replay of '08

Larimer County's top election official said the Election Day turnout is on track to match the record set in 2008.

"Man, I'll tell you what. It's on fire," Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle said Tuesday afternoon. "The courthouse is busy, Harmony is busy, Loveland is busy. I'm seeing a match of 2008, and we had, what, 93 percent then?"

A turnout of more than 90 percent of active, registered voters -- those who had cast ballots in the most recent general election -- would nudge close to the record set in 2008 when Larimer County and Colorado helped propel Barack Obama to the presidency.

Polls in the county remain open until 7 p.m., and Doyle said he was confident his staff would be able to handle the count in a timely way.

A last-minute push, and some overtime work by county election staffers, on Saturday and Monday helped gather mail-in ballots that voters had been holding onto until the last minute, Doyle said.

"That helped a lot," he said. "Given what's going on today, it was a real benefit."

Election results will be posted after the last polling place closes its doors, and not a minute sooner, Doyle said.

"I'm not going to put anything up while someone is still standing in line with a smartphone," he said.